


Teddy Bear

by talefeathers



Category: Zone Blanche | Black Spot (TV)
Genre: Cute, Drabble, Ficlet, Fluff, Gen, Origin Story, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:27:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23044762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talefeathers/pseuds/talefeathers
Summary: Everyone in Villefranche called Martial Ferrandis “Nounours,” but not everyone in Villefranche knew the whole reason why.Not everyone in Villefranche knew that it had started fifteen years ago with a three-year-old Cora Weiss.
Relationships: Martial "Nounours" Ferrandis & Cora Weiss, Martial "Nounours" Ferrandis & Laurène Weiss
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Teddy Bear

Everyone in Villefranche called Martial Ferrandis “Nounours,” but not everyone in Villefranche knew the whole reason why. 

Not everyone in Villefranche knew that it had started fifteen years ago with a three-year-old Cora Weiss.

Nounours had been almost two months of the way into the grunt work and on-the-job training that encompassed one’s first year as an investigating officer, and though his stature and his beard were already quite bearish and his temperament already quite the opposite, he was still referred to interchangeably as “Ferrandis” and “Céline’s kid” by his colleagues, depending on the context and who addressed whom.

“Sorry I’m late,” Laurène huffed, shouldering her way into the gendarmerie with a very colorful bundle of toddler on her hip. “Gabriele’s sick and I couldn’t get a hold of Léa. Hermann, do you think Denis will let her stay here until I can get someone to take her?”

“Is this the famous Cora?” Nounours—then Ferrandis—asked, brightening.

Laurène’s harried expression softened into a smile as she turned to face him. She was the gendarmerie’s second most junior officer, five years older than Ferrandis and a whole head shorter. Her age and place in the pecking order meant she had worked the closest with Ferrandis as he’d been brought onboard, helping him study for his exam and bringing him along to shadow her while she dealt with cases of vandalism and other such minor disturbances. They’d fallen into an easy friendship that was only partially due to their closeness in age and seniority; mostly they had just clicked in that mysterious way people sometimes do, like they were the same note plucked on two different instruments.

“That’s right, you haven’t met her yet, have you?” Laurène crossed the room to Ferrandis’s desk, turning this way and that to try and make her daughter face him. “Cora, do you want to say hi to Maman’s friend Martial?”

It was strange to hear Laurène say his first name, even for the benefit of the curly-haired toddler. It seemed that it was for naught, however, as Cora did not want to say hi to him, Martial or no. Instead she buried her face in Laurène’s neck, taking only the most furtive of glances in his direction.

“Good morning, Cora,” Ferrandis crooned, dipping his head to try and catch her eye. “I like your coat. Is red your favorite color?”

Cora weighed this question seriously, her brows coming together in an expression that was comically Laurène-like as she determined whether or not Ferrandis could be trusted with this information.

Then, finally, she nodded.

Ferrandis burst into a smile.

“You have been deemed worthy,” Laurène told him with a conspiratorial grin. “Cora, do you want to play with Martial for a little bit while Maman does some work?” she asked, mouthing _Thank you_ to Ferrandis over the little girl’s head.

There was another knit-browed pause, and then Cora nodded again.

In less than an hour the gendarmerie was strewn with toys from Cora’s tiny backpack. Ferrandis clicked into a fraternal kind of friendship with her in much the same way he’d clicked with her mother, falling with similar ease into her games and her questions, coaxing the stern little girl first into smiling, and then into laughing. Hermann dug out one of the Polaroid cameras they used to take evidence and snapped a photo that would decorate Laurène’s desk ever after, of her daughter and her best friend lying on their bellies on the gendarmerie floor, drawing pictures of their families on printer paper.

“They’re like peas in a pod,” Hermann said fondly as he handed the developing photo to her.

That was when Laurène’s desk phone rang.

“Villefranche Gendarmerie, this is Weiss,” she said. “Oh, Léa, thank you so much…”

Ferrandis felt a twinge of disappointment in spite of himself. He had real work to do, and he knew it, but he’d been having real fun on his impromptu playdate, too.

“Okay, Cora,” Laurène sighed after hanging up her phone. “It’s time to clean up; Miss Léa’s going to drive you to her house to play with Marion.”

 _“Nooo!”_ Cora wailed, scurrying to hide beneath Ferrandis’s desk.

“Don’t fuss,” Laurène said, propping a hand on one hip. “You always have so much fun at Marion’s house!”

“Can he come, too?” Cora sniffed, indicating Ferrandis, and he realized with amusement that she’d forgotten his name.

“Maybe next time,” Ferrandis said, with a little grin in Laurène’s direction. “For now your maman and I have to go back to work.”

Cora began to wail again, and crawled away when Ferrandis reached under his desk to try and pick her up. By the time Léa walked into the office, however, Cora was more less put back together, if a bit sullen, with her colorful backpack full of toys hanging from her shoulders.

“Thank you again,” Laurène said, and Léa gave her a weary sort of smile.

“Don’t mention it,” she said. “I’m just sorry I didn’t get your message earlier.”

She bent to address Cora.

“Good morning, Cora! Are you ready to go? Marion’s in the car; she’s very excited that you’re coming over to play.”

Cora nodded at first, moving to follow Léa out the door, but she froze partway through, as if remembering something. She spun on her heel and ran back toward Ferrandis.

“Nounours!” she shouted. _Teddy Bear._

Ferrandis’s cheeks warmed as he felt the same realization settle over everyone in the office at once: there was no word in the world more appropriate for a strong, scruffy softy like him.

His cheeks warmed even further when he held out his arms for Cora and she scurried right past him, scooping up a stuffed bear she’d left on the floor behind his chair.

“Come on, Cora, let’s go!” Laurène called. She was trying to look exasperated, but her eyes were sparkling. “Be good for Miss Léa,” she said once Cora had run back to the door, kneeling to give her a hug and a kiss. “I’ll see you tonight, okay? I love you.”

Once the door had closed behind her Laurène turned to face Ferrandis, grinning in an almost mischievous way she had never quite grinned before. She crossed the room and gave the beanie he was wearing a friendly little tug.

“Thank you, Nounours,” she said. 

And from that moment forward, Nounours is who he was.


End file.
